An ongoing goal of biomaterials research is the improvement of compositions from which medical articles, such as medical devices and coatings for medical devices, are produced. An example of such a medical article is an implantable medical device.
In a variety of medical procedures such as, for example, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), stents play an important role. Stents act as a mechanical intervention to physically hold open and, if desired, expand a passageway within a subject. However, thrombosis and restenosis, which may develop several months after a particular procedure, are among the problems associated with the use of stents and can create a need for additional angioplasty or a surgical by-pass operation.
In order to address these problems, stents are being developed to provide for the local delivery of agents. A method of local delivery includes coating the surface of a medical article, e.g., a stent, with a polymeric carrier and attaching an agent to, or blending it with, the polymeric carrier. These agents can be used alone or in combination with other suitable agents. However, there is a continual need for novel polymer coatings for use on drug delivery devices.
The embodiments described below address the above-identified needs and issues.